Prediction: SEA 17, KC 20 (Line: KC by 1.5)

UPDATE: Donnie Avery and A.J. Jenkins are both out this week. Marshawn Lynch is listed as questionable and did not practice until Friday but he had a full day and is expected to play. Luke Wilson has not practiced because of his ankle and will be a game time decision.

This is a very interesting game and hard to call because it all depends on which versions of each team show up. The 6-3 Seahawks are on a three game winning streak but are just 2-2 away from home. The 6-3 Chiefs are 3-1 at home and cannot afford a loss with the Broncos already ahead in their division. This should end up as a defensive affair with lower scoring.

Pregame Notes: Two big home wins over bad teams may feel good, but these Seahawks have been far less formidable away from home and nearly lost in Carolina recently. The passing game apparently needed Golden Tate and Percy Harvin because what is there now just has not bee adequate for when the Seahawks fall behind and are forced to throw. The defense is not as dominant as it was for a few seasons as well but this is still a dangerous team that was never big on passing. But when the need arises, the results were always better than what we see this year.

QUARTERBACK : Russell Wilson only passed for three touchdowns over the last five games and that is with three that had no passing touchdowns and that failed to reach even 200 passing yards. Wilson is running more and even last week broke 100 rush yards for the third time this season. He;s ran in four touchdowns and generally has healthy yardage as a runner because he is compensating for the diminished ability to pass.

RUNNING BACK : What is worrisome here is that Marshawn Lynch comes off six touchdowns over the last two games. He has nine rushing scores on the year and every one of them were scored at home. Lynch did score as a receiver three times and twice was in a road venue but that last happened five games ago. Lynch averages 94 rush yards and 2.3 rush touchdowns in Seattle but only 56 yards and no scores away from home. He is also losing four carries per week to Christine Michael while Robert Turbin also runs about five times. If Lynch could match his home success on the road, the Seahawks would likely have led the division by now.

WIDE RECEIVER : This is one of the least productive units in the NFL and not just because the Seahawks prefer to run. Doug Baldwin is consistently about 30 yards per game and no other wideout can claim that. But Baldwin has just one effort over 61 yards and Jermaine Kearse can be as good as 70 yards or as bad as four yards and those were in consecutive weeks. There is no fantasy value here aside from the marginal yardage from Baldwin.

TIGHT END : No fantasy value. Luke Wilson injured his ankle last week but he;s not broken 30 yards in a game so far. Cooper Helfet gets maybe one catch per game.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Chiefs sport one of the best pass defenses in the league and no quarterback passed for more than 266 yards on them this year. In Kansas City, only one quarterback managed to gain more than 200 yards. This is not going to be an aerial war waged by Russell Wilson. But the Chiefs have not allowed any rushing touchdowns this year – not one. In Kansas City, the best any runner produced was 71 rush yards. Lynch is already challenged to do much in road games and it is a safe bet that Wilson intends to run but this defense will be better limiting him. Sadly the closest thing to a weakness that the defense has is allowing seven touchdowns to tight ends and the Seahawks rarely use theirs.

Pregame Notes: The offense has rarely done that much but the defense makes it a moot point in most games. The Chiefs are on a four game winning streak and have scored well so long as they remain home. The 151 points allowed is second only to the Lions and the last three opponents failed to score more than one touchdown on them. The Chiefs could get caught looking past this game with the Raiders and Broncos up next but the reigning Super Bowl champs should hold their interest. This is almost certain to be a low scoring affair.

QUARTERBACK : Alex Smith produces moderate stats each week and usually scores in home games but his yardage is always very average and at home never more than 248 yards. What Smith doesn’t go is turn the ball over and he has just one interception in the last eight games.

RUNNING BACK : The use of Knile Davis to spell Jamaal Charles has really fallen off in the last few weeks while Charles remains an elite back with eight touchdowns over the last six games and around 100 total yards each week. He still has yet to break 100 rush yards and even his catches are down this year with never more than four and more often just two or three. But Charles is a reliable and productive back – just not quite as prolific as in the past.

WIDE RECEIVER : Remarkably this is the worst wide receiver unit in the NFL and ten games into the season still has yet to produce one single touchdown. None. There were no 100 yard games. Dwayne Bowe comes off an eight catch, 93 yard effort in Buffalo that dwarfs all others this year. Bowe is the only fantasy relevant player and only so long as you can live with around six catches for 60 yards each week.

TIGHT END : Travis Kelce turned in a season worst two catches for 19 yards in Buffalo but he’s been far better in all home games where his worst is 45 yards and two of his last three games held a touchdown plus at least 65 yards. Though under-used, Kelce is the lone weapon of any measure in the passing offense.

MATCH TO THE DEFENSE: The Seahawks are predictably good against the run but have played bad offenses in most road values and have allowed five runners to score. Jamaal Charles is never benched and the incoming Seahawks are not as good as their ranking when it comes to stopping a quality running back. Dwayne Bowe matches on Richard Sherman in case you are feeling rally adventuresome. But the one player outside of Charles who can matter is Kelce and the Seahawks biggest weakness with the pass are tight ends who have totaled ten touchdowns on them as opposed to only four from all wideouts combined. Charles and Kelce are the starts this week.